Cambridge day 2: What is an international school?

Today was the official start of the seminar. The day began with the first session with Jonathan Cox, the study group leader for Issues in International Education. Based on the information in the program's brochure I had a sense of what to expect but it's often difficult to truly anticipate in a program like this as it's not a typical conference. My study group has 8 people and the entire programme has 24 in total.

The morning session was largely focused on teasing out the idea of an international school. My group comprises of teachers from
Pakistan and the United States of America (Los Angeles, Atlanta, Denver,
Baltimore and New York). There is a variation of privileged schools and one
teacher from a “turn-around” school with students who are Mexican immigrants
and refugees from conflict areas. The group leader has experience teaching in an international school in Singapore. The mixture of the group created an interesting discussion throughout the morning as most teachers were able to share their experiences as well as answer the question What is an international school?

This question led to a discussion
about multiculturalism in schools. Most teachers felt that their schools were
not reflective of an international school which resulted in a discussion of the
definition[1]
offered. Most teachers felt that their schools were local schools with a global
outlook. This means that most schools are concerned about competing at a global
level in order to offer students the best education. This also means that students
are often from middle class families who are well travelled (however being
well-travelled does not mean one is “an international” or “global” but simply a
tourist).

There seemed to be a consensus amongst the
teachers that most of the students needed to be challenged about seeing
themselves as part of a wider world beyond the school. This meant exposing the
students to a curriculum that enables ideas that lend themselves to discussion
about other contexts and political changes that are pertinent. The discussion
was also concerned with the role of the parents: what role do parents play in
creating a school with a global outlook?

Throughout the discussion I had my school in mind: is it an international school? I decided that it isn’t because
the historical context and the current South African context drive certain
concerns that result in a school grounded in tradition but concerned about the
future of the school within a global context while keeping up with
international trends in education. Therefore a local school with a global
outlook.There seems to be a different
understanding of internationalisation in schools depending on the context of
the school. For example: in Singapore, international schools cater to the expat
community and a few local students (mostly because of the language barrier); in
Baltimore (a privileged school) internationalisation is mostly aided with
relationships developed with schools in other countries; in South Africa
internationalisation (largely in a private school) means exchange programmes for the students as
well as maintaining academic standards which enable students the opportunity to
study further in order to perform with “the best” students across the world.

The session also looked at case studies
related to international education. The discussion was focused on making
internationalisation practical in schools. The central theme that emerged was
about making a distinction between “global education” versus “diversity
integration”. The two issues are often seen as overlapping. The former suggests
an education that is mindful of global trends in education and challenges
students to be mindful of the world beyond their immediate context. The latter
suggests that schools need programmes that question the daily life of the
school and how differences are dealt with. These differences include sexuality,
race, class, language, nationality etc. as well as the relationship the school has with the immediate
local community.

Underlying the discussion was the role of
the teacher and the end game of all schools: what kind of student should emerge
from the school? The role of the teacher was mainly focussed on the curriculum.
What kind of content is taught in schools in order to create an engaging
environment that will make students “global citizens”? What skills and
knowledge do these teachers need to have? The student that was envisaged was
one who is a creative thinker who can live and compete in a globalising world.

Tomorrow's discussion will consider the skills needed by a 21st Century learner: which basically looks at a trend thinking about; in light of what the future will look like for current students (very different) what kind of skills should be taught in schools now in order to ensure that students are prepared for a changing world. This is not a new conversation. Thinkers across the world are suggesting that careers, the workplace and even universities are going to look very different in the future and the preparation for that should be happening now.

[1]The working
definition (which was constantly challenged) is that an international school
does not subscribe to the country’s national curriculum. It usually caters to
an expat community and identifies as an international school because of the
diversity in nationality in the student body.

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